The film — which is a joint production between Tunisia, Switzerland, and France — is distributed in the Arab World by MAD Solutions.
Arabic streaming platform Shahid has announced the addition of the Tunisian rural drama Under the Fig Trees, directed by Erige Sehiri, to its streaming lineup. The film, recently honoured with the Grand Prix in the New Talent Competition at the Taipei Film Festival, is now available for viewers on the platform.
Under the Fig Trees has garnered acclaim on the international stage, securing the EcoProd Jury Award at the 2022 Cannes International Film Festival, the Silver Tanit Award at the 2022 Carthage Film Festival, and the Grand Prize at the Festival International du Film Francophone de Tübingen-Stuttgart. Additionally, the film has been chosen as Tunisia’s official submission for the 2023 Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category.
Set against the backdrop of a day, the film presents an intergenerational dialogue among a group of teenagers and older individuals as they engage in the summer harvest, navigate complex emotions, and strive to understand one another.
Directed by Erige Sehiri and co-written by Ghalya Lacroix and Peggy Hamann, Under the Fig Trees features a talented cast including Fide Fdhili, Feten Fdhili, Ameni Fdhili, Samar Sifi, and Abdelhak Mrabti. The film’s cinematography is led by Frida Marzouk, and its music is composed by Amine Bouhafa.
This collaborative production involving Tunisia’s Henia Production Company, Switzerland’s Akka Films Company, and France’s Maneki Films Company is globally distributed by Luxbox Company and in the Arab World by MAD Solutions.
Erige Sehiri, a Tunisian-French director and producer, started her filmmaking career with documentaries after working briefly as a journalist. Notably, her feature documentary Railway Men, which highlighted the daily struggles of railway workers against national railways’ challenges, enjoyed a successful six-week run in Tunisian theatres.
